Hi everyone,

The Tap Project Tour travels Australia's leading tap dancers and choreographers around the country to engage local students in a learning experience. Students partake in a day of workshops, learning exercises, working on routines, and improvising.

There will be a variety of mentors over the tour, so please read the information below carefully to find out who will be in your location and where the workshops will be held.

What can you expect?

Students will start with a group warm-up and then split into groups for classes. There will be 2-3 mentors and the whole day will conclude with a performance from the students and the mentors. We allow the day to be quite free and less structured. This allows for us to cater to the students that are present, rather than "one size fits all".

Why is this unique?

The Tap Project Tour is one of only a handful of workshops that are solely dedicated to tap dance, in Australia. We place an importance on delivering tap dance to regional areas as well as the major cities. The director selects the highest calibre of mentors with experience in teaching and on stage. The Tour team is all about creating an environment that is non-competitive with a focus on learning and inspiring. Our hope is to grow the community of tap dancers in Australia.

What else?

Lunch is from 12pm-12:30pm. If you're a parent and wish to take your child for lunch you're welcome, otherwise lunch could be brought. Students below the age of 13 will need to be signed in and signed out. Please wear comfortable clothing that you can move in, ballet tights, buns, and leotards are not encouraged but If this is what you are truly comfortable with, then go for it.

We advise that this event is 9 years +. Those that are slightly below this age may be suitable but enquire with us first.

On The Tap Project tour, we welcome and celebrate differences. We are proud to make opportunities available for anyone and everyone that is passionate about tap dance. The Tap Project is committed to making an event that will be inspiring for anyone regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, or gender identity.

Contact: Thomas Egan

E: Thomas@thomasjegan.com.au

ph: 0410601890

"Testimony to the program, some of Tom’s students travel 2 hours to come to class from Wollongong and The Central Coast because it is so unique and valuable. The program sparks a light in them that you can’t find anywhere else. My hope is that in the future more children will be able to experience this great program and benefit as mine have" - Ingrid Rihanni

Single Classes: $30.00

Full workshop: $70.00

Wollongong - 7th of Jan

Mentors: Peta Anderson, TBC and Thomas J Egan

Address: 1 O'Neil Street, Unanderra New South Wales 2526 VPA Studios

ALL AGES (9+)

10am - TBC Mentor Class

11am - TBC Mentor Class

12:00 lunch

12:30 - Further Class and Rehearsal

1:30pm - Performance from Mentors and Students.

Canberra - 8th of Jan

Mentors: Reid Perry and Thomas J Egan

Address: 65 Sheppard St, Hume Australian Capital Territory 2620 Legs Dance Academy

ALL AGES (9+)

10am - TBC Mentor Class

11am - TBC Mentor Class

12:00 lunch

12:30 - Further Class and Rehearsal

1:30pm - Performance from Mentors and Students.

Bathurst - 10th of Jan

Address: U 11 2 VALE ROAD, South Bathurst New South Wales 2795 - JLD Dance

TICKETS ONLY AVAILABLE FROM baldwij@internode.on.net

Wollongong- 11th of Jan

Mentors: Peta Anderson and Thomas J Egan

Address: 2/45 Durgadin Dr, Albion Park Rail NSW 2527 - DDC Studios

TICKETS ONLY AVAILABLE FROM ddcdancestudios@gmail.com

Sydney - 14th of Jan

Mentors: Peta Anderson, Jack Egan and Thomas J Egan

Address: U 4 2 GEORGE PLACE, ARTARMON New South Wales 2064 AIPA, Artarmon

ALL AGES (9+)

10am - TBC Mentor Class

11am - TBC Mentor Class

12:00 lunch

12:30 - Further Class and Rehearsal

1:30pm - Performance from Mentors and Students.

Newcastle- 15th of Jan

Mentors: Peta Anderson, Jack Egan and Thomas J Egan

Address: 65 Parry St, West Newcastle, New South Wales 2303 Tap Pups Newcastle

ALL AGES (9+)

10am - TBC Mentor Class

11am - TBC Mentor Class

12:00 lunch

12:30 - Further Class and Rehearsal

1:30pm - Performance from Mentors and Students.

Coffs Harbour - 16th of Jan

Nathaniel Hancock and Thomas J Egan

Address: 1/22 Isles Dr, North Boambee Valley NSW 2450 - JRDS

TICKETS ONLY AVAILABLE FROM jrdsnews@julierossdance.com.au

Brisbane - 19th of Jan

Nathaniel Hancock and Thomas J Egan

Address: 1/566 Lutwyche Rd, Lutwyche QLD 4030 - Alchemy Studios

ALL AGES (9+)

10am - TBC Mentor Class

11am - TBC Mentor Class

12:00 lunch

12:30 - Further Class and Rehearsal

1:30pm - Performance from Mentors and Students.

The Gold Coast - 20th of Jan

Nathaniel Hancock and Thomas J Egan

Address: 22 Karen Ave, Mermaid Beach QLD 4218 Ikin Dance

ONE GROUP AGES 12+

10am - TBC Mentor Class

11am - TBC Mentor Class

12:00 lunch

12:30 - Further Class and Rehearsal

1:30pm - Performance from Mentors and Students.

Bundaberg - 21st of Jan

Nathaniel Hancock and Thomas J Egan

Address: 34 Quay St, Bundaberg Central QLD 4670

ALL AGES (9+)

10am - TBC Mentor Class

11am - TBC Mentor Class

12:00 lunch

12:30 - Further Class and Rehearsal

1:30pm - Performance from Mentors and Students.

Melbourne - 23rd of Jan

Mentors: Garry Stocks, Jack Egan, and Thomas J Egan

Address: 225 Swan St, Richmond VIC 3121 Dance Factory

ALL AGES (9+)

10am - TBC Mentor Class

11am - TBC Mentor Class

12:00 lunch

12:30 - Further Class and Rehearsal

1:30pm - Performance from Mentors and Students.

FAQ

How are the students split?

The students will be split into two groups based on level not on age.

What if I have never learned any tap before?

The workshops are intended for those who have at least learned a little bit of tap dance before. If you're willing to jump into the lower level group, depending on your age then this level might be okay for you!

I'm over 18, does this day include me?

Hell yeah! That comes with a 'but' though; This event has a youth focus. So adults are welcome but be aware that in the higher level class (which often becomes the older class), will mostly have teens present.

I'm a bit below 9 years of age, can I still do it?

Hello young person, you have great spelling and grammar for your age! Yes, if you're younger you are welcome to join in but, the age brackets are there because some younger students may feel intimidated around older students. The level may be a little difficult for you, but as long as you are positive and willing to learn then you should be fine.

How does this level relate to my syllabus?

What we teach is often different from what is present in most Syllabus'. So far we have easily found a balance between the two classes in terms of level.

What should I wear?

Whatever makes you comfortable.

Do I bring my ticket?

Flash it at the door and you're good to go. If you do not have it though, just tell me your name and then you are also, good to go!

What if I can or want to do one class only?

You can buy a single class pass. This will mean you come to the first session. You will do the group warmup and split into the first class. We like to move around who will be teaching first, so contact us if there is someone you specifically want to take a class from and we can organise something for you. You can also come back and watch the performance at the end.

I have multiple children, are there any deals for families?

Contact us and we can sort something out for you. We have an honor system in place, please use this option legitimately.

I really want some funky Tap Project merch, how do I get my hands on something?

We may have some T-shirts or hoodies available on the day for either cash or card purchase.

Donations

All donations will go towards making the tour more viable, the work on the performance, and if we can can gain enough there are some items on a wish list. These are some items we would love to raise money for in the future.

- A tourable maple, tap dance floor

- 4 mentors in each location

- A one-hour length performance available in a theatre location

- Live musicians

Please contact us if there is a specific fundraising opportunity that you would like to discuss.

About the director

Thomas J Egan

Thomas is an Australian tap dancer, choreographer, educator, and creative. He is known for his ambitious tap dance productions and is sought out as a soloist performer. He is a co-creator of The Tap Pack which has toured the USA, on The West End, The Sydney Opera House, Beijing, and Berlin. He is a founder of the newly formed Australian Tap Dance Company and has choreographed and performed in live events all over the world. Thomas has a truly diverse resume as a performer working with the likes of Tap Dogs, Fame The Musical, Singing In The Rain, Kylie Minogue, X-Factor, and Australia’s Got Talent.

Garry Stocks

Garry grew up in Bathurst NSW and began tap dancing at the age of 7. After discovering ballet at 14 decided to pursue this style further and moved to Melbourne to study at the Australian Ballet School for 4 years upon graduating he was offered a contract with The Australian Ballet Company with whom he danced with for ten years.

Having performed all over Australia and in iconic theatres on the world stage in places such as London, Paris, Tokyo, Shanghai, and New Yorks’s Lincoln Center it was time to retire and put his tap shoes back on. Garry has reconnected with his love for tap dance and has since performed at the Australian Tap Dance Festival and on corporate gigs with TDC productions and Melbourne Tap Dance.

He currently teaches in Melbourne and is also is exploring his own creative ventures with tap dance which he is looking forward to bringing to the stage sometime soon. He was an ATDF Faculty member in 2019 and is excited to be back this year to continue sharing in this wonderful art form.

Peta Anderson

Peta is one of Australia’s leading Tap dancers, and is taking the world by storm by combining her knowledge in both Irish and Tap dance styles to create unique rhythms found within her love of both percussive forms of dance.

Peta started dancing at the age of 3 in Sydney, where she attended the Mcdonald college of the arts . After finishing high school she went on to complete a diploma in performing arts at “Dance world studios” Melbourne. Peta went on to tour with “The Rhythms of Ireland” around Australia and New Zealand straight after finishing her diploma which lead her to performing with “Dance of Desire” in China. Peta then appeared on Ireland’s “RTE” TV program “Dance off” where she was chosen to perform as principal dancer and played the part of “Aisling” in the show “Noctu”, which then went on to perform in New York on Broadway, gaining 2 drama desk award nominations. Peta then went on to perform in Riverdance between 2011 and 2015, travelling all over the world including Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Europe, Uk and China, as part of their 20th anniversary tours. Whilst being a part of Riverdance she also starred in their brand new production “Heartbeat of Home” as part of the original cast performing in Ireland, China and Canada.

Peta was also a part of an arena tour of the UK performing in Ant & Decs “Saturday night takeaway on tour” dancing with the likes of Blue, Ashley Roberts, Peter Andre, and Westlife.

When Peta returned to Sydney she was cast in the role of “Lola”in the Kermond creative production of “Spiegle’esque” which has been performed all around Australia.

Peta now resides in Sydney where she is choreographing/producing and starring in a brand new show called “Eireborne” which tributes everything Ireland has bought to the world in both music and dance. "Eireborne" has just finished its second tour with great success and has had numerous sold out shows, with the future looking very bright, Peta is so honoured that the first show she has helped create is about to become international as “Eireborne” will perform a residency in both Zurich, Switzerland and Hamburg, Germany later in 2019.

Peta also performed on "The Voice" as the featured drummer for James Arthur as well as his film clip for his hit song "You deserve better”, and as a featured singer behind “Conrad Sewell”.

Peta has a growing reputation as a choreographer and recently choreographed the 2018 “Bulgari” launch in Sydney and is now on board to choreograph a Brand new show featuring “The drummer Queens” directed and created by both Nigel Turner-Carroll and Joe Accaria.

Peta is recognised worldwide as a "Capezio" athlete and was named in the top 30 most inspirational athletes of 2017 to recognise 130 years of the "Capezio" brand, she was excited to be the face of the new campaign releasing the "Tapsonic" shoe as her style of fusing both tap and Irish dancing together represented the shoe perfectly. In 2018 she also became an ambassador for “O’mara sprung floors” which is based in Michigan, USA.

Most recently Peta was on the faculty of the "Australian Tap festival" and the "London Tap intensive" in 2018 and in early 2019 she was on faculty at the “UK tap festival” in Manchester.

Jack Egan

Jack has been an influential member of the Australian tap community for over a decade, paving the way for the development of professional level tap dancing in Australia. His work with young Australian dancers has brought his choreography across the world for competitions and further training. He has achieved World Champion choreography for the IDO World Tap Dance Championship's in Germany representing Australia but recently his passion for tap dance has extended into The Forge Tap Project, an initiative promoting youth tap dance and furthermore recent performances such as Alpha - a Forge Tap Company event.

He has been a part of tap groups such as The Tap Pack, Three Feet of Beat and One Big Blur performing internationally to audiences on numerous prestigious cruise ship companies such as Royal Caribbean, Norwegian and Europa. He is also an accredited Judge for the International Dance Organization (IDO), judging at the prestigious IDO World Tap Championships in Riesa, Germany in 2014 & 2016. To accompany his dance training he also studied a Masters in Exercise Rehabilitation to facilitate his knowledge of the body as well as the development of dancers and movement patterns.

Nathaniel Hancock

Nathaniel has been part of the touring cast of Tap Dogs for the past 10 years where he has performed in Europe, Asia, Bahrain, UAE, Australia, South Africa, Saudi Arabia and the USA. He is a founding member of Street Feet Entertainment, Rhythmism Tap Co and is an integral part of The Tap Tour. Nathaniel appeared in the animated film Happy Feet 2 as a featured tap dancer.

He has also performed with Beat the Streets, Street Feet Entertainment and The Next Step alongside some of Australia’s best commercial dancers and tap dancers alike. His most recent performances with the Tap Dogs in Australia were: The Lord Mayor’s New Year’s Eve party at the Sydney Opera House, The NRL Dally M Awards and the Virgin Blue 10th Anniversary Celebration. Nathaniel has been teaching and adjudicating tap dance both nationally and internationally for the past 14 years and shows that he has a great passion for sharing his love and knowledge of tap dance. He has been a member of the faculty at the past two Australian Tap Festival’s and The Sydney Tap Festival in 2017 and 2018.

His love of rhythm and unique, intricate time signatures really places him at the forefront of modern tap dance in Australia. These skills along with trick steps, fast feet and musicality driven choreography shows that

Reid Perry

Reid began his dance training at Tap Pups under Dein Perry as a young child. His early years were filled with performance opportunities including the Lord Mayor’s New Year’s Eve Party at the Sydney Opera House, The Footy Show, Luna Park re-opening and the World Masters Games Opening Ceremony.

Reid was delighted to make his Tap Dogs debut in 2016 and since then he has continued to perform with them at corporate events across Australia. Reid has an Advanced Diploma in Musical Theatre from ED5 International Performing Arts where he has been fortunate enough to play roles including Zach from ‘A Chorus Line’ as well as perform alongside celebrities such as Marcia Hines. Reid continues to tour internationally with Tap Dogs.

Reid began his dance training at Tap Pups under Dein Perry as a young child. His early years were filled with performance opportunities including the Lord Mayor's New Year's Eve Party at the Sydney Opera House, The Footy Show, Luna Park re-opening and the World Masters Games Opening Ceremony.

Reid graduated from Ed5 International with an Advanced Diploma in Performing arts and since has had many opportunities to perform in tap groups such as Those Tap Guys and The Australian Tap Dance Company.

Reid was delighted to make his Tap Dogs debut in 2016 and has performed corporates for them all across Australia. Reid has also performed in the Tap Dogs 2018/19 World Tour where he performed in South Africa, Saudi Arabia, China, United States and London's West End

COVID-19

The Tap Project and the venues that we are hiring are taking measures to keep all of us safe during this pandemic. Please adhere to any guidelines set out by the studio and if you or your dependant displays any symptoms, we ask that you do not attend the workshops and contact us for a full refund.

What are the symptoms of COVID-19?

Symptoms of COVID-19 can range from mild illness to pneumonia. Some people will recover easily, and others may get very sick very quickly. The common symptoms of COVID-19 may include:

Fever coughing

Sore throat

Fatigue (tiredness), and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath.

Most people infected with COVID-19 will have a mild to moderate illness and will recover without special medical treatment. Some people, such as those with underlying medical problems or disease and older people, are more likely to suffer from more serious symptoms of the diseases. See also our content on vulnerable workers.

How is COVID-19 spread?

The most likely way someone will catch the virus is by breathing in micro-droplets a person close to them has released by sneezing, coughing –or just breathing out. A person can, however, also catch it via the hand-to-face pathway: touching a surface where live virus material is present, then touching their mouth, nose or eyes.

Spread of COVID-19 is highest from people with symptoms

We ask that all attendees frequently wash their hands, sanitise and keep an appropriate distance from others.